Improvement in sign-holders



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. W. HOPKINS.

Sign-Holder Patented Au 26,1879.

NPETERS, PMIII'U-LI'TMOGRAFNER1 WASHINGTON D. C.

. 2 sheet g HOPKINS.

v Sign-1101661. No. 218,882. Patented Aug. 26,1879.

M g, I mhd Q gnaw/WW SIDNEY w. HOPKINS,

. U NITED] STATES PATEN T OFFICE- OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ANNA MARIA HOPKINS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SIGN-HOLDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 218,882, dated August 26, 1879; application filed October 23, 1878.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY W. HOPKINS, of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sign-Holdersand Advertising-Signs, of which the following is a full, true, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

It is very desirable that sign-holding contrivances should be readily and quickly attachable to, and as readily and quickly detachable from, such supports as telegraphpoles or similar "ertical posts or pillars which arecustomarily situated in the public streets and roads in plain view of the passer-by; and it is also very advantageous that advertising signs when once placed therein shall be locked in positiomfrom which they cannot be changed or removed without the consent'of the person holding the master-key.

I am aware that cases of various kinds for holding signs have previously been made 5 but my invention has more especial relation to a new construction or improvement in sign-holders and to its combination with a supportingpost, as hereinafter described.

My invention consists of an improvement in sign-holders and advertising-signs, especially such as are intended to be attached and fastened to posts, pillars, columns, or other upright supports, and which are arranged to allow of the ready substitution of one advertisement for another.

My sign-holder is so arranged that, first, it

can be readily and quickly attached to a post or other uprightsupport, and quite as readily and quickly be detached and removed therefrom and be reattached to another post or other upright supportwithoutinterferin g with, disarranging, orin the slightest degree disturbing, any of the advertising-signs which it holds; secondly, it will securely hold, and at the same time expose to view, anygiven number of advertising-signs, of any desired or fixed width, or of different widths, upon each or all of which advertisements may be displayed; thirdly, it will allow of the ready and instant removal of any one ormore of the advertising-signs and thesubstitution of others without disturbing any of its fellows, or without the necessity of either removing or disconnecting the sign-holder or any part of it from the post or support towhich it is at- .moval of any of the advertising-signs which it contains without the use of the proper key; fi'fthly, the same apparatus which holds and securely locks the advertising-signs in their proper places in the sign-holder at the same time also holds and securely locks the signholder in position on and prevents its removal from the post orother upright support to which it is attached without the use of the proper key; sixthly, it can be attached and permanently fastened to a post or other upright support independent of the locking apparatus before referred to seventhly, it is reversible and interchangeable in all its parts, and its contained signs are interchangeable one with another. My invention Willbe clearly understood from the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents my invention in position on the post or supporting-column with the advertisements displayed thereon. Fig.2represents a perspective view of my sign-holder in position on the post or supportingcolumn, with the westerly locking apparatus opened and raised, and the easterly one closed and in position, and the lower advertisingsign partially withdrawn. Fig. 3 represents an inside view of one half of my sign-holder when attached to the post, with the locking apparatus removed. Fig. 4 represents the twin reversible embracing-frames, which, when placed in position, form the only or main part of my sign-holder, showing an outside view of one, A, and an inside view of the other, B, with the advertising-signs and locking apparatus removed. Fig. 5 represents a top and bottom view of my signholder when attached to the adjustable clamps and fastened on the post. Fig. 6 represents my reversible locking apparatus, showing the hinge-hasps at each end. Fig. 7 represents my adjustable clamps with the supporting-aria. My apparatus consists, generally, of two rel l. end of each of the clamps g g are the supportversible embracing-frames, A and B, being duplicates of each other, made of wood or around a post, and are prevented from shifting or moving upward, downward, or sidewise by the entry of the dowel-pins to into the dowel-holes o, as shown in Fig. 4.

On the outside or curved edge of each of the parallel framing-ribs 3 are the series of supporting-grooves or slideways k, as shown in Fig. 4, which are made of wood, metal, or

other suitable material, and adapted to support the advertising-signs G, which are made of paper, glass, tin, iron, or other material, and adapted to slide in between any two of the grooves or slideways k, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower sign being partially withdrawn.

Hinged to each end of both the top and bottom parallel framing-ribs, y, of the reversible embracing-frames A and B by the hingehasps a n arethe reversible locking apparatuses D D, which are formed precisely alike at both ends, of wood or metal, or both combined, or other suitable material, and are arranged to be opened and closed at either or both ends, and are adapted to grasp and se curely hold and lock together the two reversible embracing-frames A and B, and by means of the retaining-lips it or to'hold in position and securely lock therein the advertisingsigns 0, as shown in Fig. 2.

At both the top and bottom of thc embracing-frames A and B, and at each end thereof, the hinge-hasps n a pass over the ends of the twin staple-braces p p, to which they are securely fastened by the double hooks r *r, and they also pass over the twin staples s s, to which they are fastened by the double hooks r r, and securelylocked in position by the locks f f, by means of which the two reversible embracing-frames A and B are more securely and tightly held together against and around the post E, as shown in Fig. 5.

Surrounding and at the same time tightly clasping the post or supporting-column E, one

' above and the other below the sign-holder,

are the adjustable clamps g g, which are securely and firmly fastened in their respective places thereon by means of the bolts and nuts Extending out at right angles from each ing-arms h h, to which the twin supporting.

' braces t t are attached and securely fastened by, the thumb-screws m m, by means of which each'of the embracing-frames A and B is securely and separately suspended from above and supported from below in its place against and around the post E, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

It will be seen that my sign-holder is reversible, and also interchangeable one part with every other partthat is to say, each and every embracing-frame is reversible, and will fit each and every other embracing-frame when placed together against or around a post, and each and every locking apparatus is reversible, and will fit each and every place provided to receive one, and each and every clamp is reversible, as well as adjustable and interchangeable one part with another, and will receive and support each and every embracing-frame, so that a sign-holder can be formed by placing together any two of the reversible and interchangeable embracingt'rames, without any regard whatever to the top or bottom of either of themthat is to say,'as to which end shall be upward and which end downward when being joined together.

It will also be seen that advertising-signs of any specific or desired width, and also of different widths, either or both, can at the same time be used in my sign-holder-that is to say, advertising-signs can be used of a width that will admit of their being slid between and into any two of the grooves or slideways by covering any desired number of the intermediate grooves or slideways. An advertising-- sign, for instance, might be used covering the entire face of the sign-holder by sliding it between and into the extreme upper and lower grooves or slideways and covering all the intermediate ones.

I do not claim in this application a threesided holder, having made a separate application therefor.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with an advertising-sign holder, the two lockin g contrivances D D, one arranged at each end of the sign, whereby said signs can be removed in either direction, substantially as described.

,2. The combination of the locking apparatus D D and twin staple-braces p p, by means of which the embracing-frames A and B are held tightly together, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the locking apparatus D D, the embracing-frames provided with the two points or dowel-pins w and the dowelholes 0, by means of which the embracingframes are held together and prevented from shifting or moving past each other, substantially as described.

4. The twin skeleton frames'A B, which consist of the horizontal ribs or plates 3 and vertical supports 19, t, and j, and provided with the slideways 70, substantially. as and for the purposes described.

Witnessesr SIDNEY W. HOPKINS.

S. F. SULLIVAN, ANTHONY GREFP. 

